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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24584785">I Come Close</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lifeinahole/pseuds/Lifeinahole'>Lifeinahole</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon a Time (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Business Rivals, Dirty Talk, F/M, Licking, Light Bondage, Rivals to Lovers, Semi-Public Sex, but like eventually, kinks ahoy, otherwise it's just smut, there's plot if you squint</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:42:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24584785</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lifeinahole/pseuds/Lifeinahole</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They're rivals, or so they claim, but that doesn't stop them from striking a deal for a little stress relief outside the office. How long can they keep up their arrangement before it all falls apart, though?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>187</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>At present, there are three "chapters" of this - I never even meant to write more than 1. I don't know if there will be a fourth yet, but I feel like I want there to be a fourth chapter just to wrap it all up. I'm going to post these spread out, so enjoy this first chapter. </p><p>Note: Each chapter is Explicit. This one involved semi-public sex.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s once a week - that’s the arrangement they decided on - once a week with minimal wining and dining and then they fuck and he leaves. It’s her turf because that’s what they agreed on the first time. And the second time. And when it became a weekly thing. So he’s utterly shocked when his doorman rings and tells him that a Ms. Swan is there to see him and asks if he should send her up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please do,” Killian tells Smee, moving quickly to check his appearance in the mirror by the entrance. His prosthesis is already off and there’s no time to get it back on without making her wait, so he fixes the cuff where it’s rolled up on his forearm and runs his hand through his hair one more time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the elevator doors open, Emma enters the apartment like she enters every room - like it belongs to her. It’s cold out, so he’s not surprised to see her coat wrapped snugly around her. He can see her stockings and heels and knows that her dress or skirt is tight but professional. It always is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Evening, Swan. This is quite the surprise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of a response, she unfastens her coat and lets it drop to the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dinner, wine, and then dessert in the bedroom. Nothing tastes sweeter than Emma Swan, in his opinion. They always have a system, and they stick to the system so they don’t have any confusion about what this is. They’re rivals, as far as anyone knows. Fuck friends, second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So imagine his surprise to see her standing in his entryway in a pair of thigh-high stockings and her beloved stilettos, and nothing else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She throws her hair over her shoulder, wandering close enough to run her hand down his chest before she continues straight to the floor-to-ceiling windows that line Killian’s living room. Her hands get pressed against the glass and she stands with her feet planted shoulder-width apart. Once she settles in place, she looks over her shoulder at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come here,” she quietly commands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His body moves as if he was in a trance, and he quickly works on the buttons on his shirt. He has it undone and shed before he makes it over to her, but the trousers will have to wait as he makes it over to her, his fingers dipping straight between her legs to run between her lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to tell me why you’re here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you know why I’m here,” Emma says as one of Killian’s fingers slips inside her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean besides the obvious,” Killian responds as he removes his fingers in order to unfasten his trousers and slide his boxers down. “I know </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> is why you’re here.” He presses his cock between her legs, sliding against her until the tip hits her clit. “But if memory serves, I was just at your place two nights ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Less talking, more fucking,” she says, reaching down and repositioning Killian’s cock to slide it inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He obliges, only because he knows he won’t get anything out of her when they’re both like this. He presses forward, making sure to pull her back against him tighter. Looking over her shoulder, he sees what she must be seeing - the view of the city is unobstructed from up here. With the low lighting in his living room, there’s still a partial reflection of the two of them in the glass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Killian shifts his focus to look at Emma, he finds she’s looking directly at him. When he thrusts harder, her eyelids flutter but she holds eye contact with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He keeps going, his thrusts at the speed and hardness that she prefers, while his hand slides again to the front to press around her clit in circles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shifts her hair off her neck quickly, moving her hand to her breast after she does and stuttering out a moan as her cool flesh meets heated. With her shoulder exposed, Killian is able to kiss and nip, his tongue following the line all the way up the side of her neck before he bites down on her earlobe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harder,” she requests, dropping her hips and arching her back more, and Killian can’t help the noise that comes out because of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s rough, it’s impersonal, and it’s just what both of them have declared they enjoy. But after they’ve both orgasmed, she shifts them, leaning back against his shoulder as his head presses against hers. Her hand slides against his on her abdomen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to go,” she says after a minute of standing that way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wants to hold on. He wants to ask her to stay. Did she already have dinner? Does she enjoy movies? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He holds his tongue as she leaves the room to use his restroom, using the moment to slide his trousers back on. When she comes back, he has her coat collected from where she dropped it and she tries to hide a smile as he helps her back into it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you wouldn’t like something to put under that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe next time,” she tells him, calling the elevator back to his floor. It dings to let her know it has arrived, but Emma doesn’t enter right away. Instead, she moves to where he’s still standing with his hand and wrist shoved into the pockets. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They never kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But apparently every one of their rules is meant to be broken. Her lips are perfect, and all he wants to do is pull her closer and kiss her more, but she pulls away and leaves him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See you in two days,” she says just before the doors close. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, apparently all their rules are going right out the window. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Note: This chapter includes Blindfolding, Sensory Play, and Restraints</p><p>Okay, full disclosure, I'm the most vanilla bitch you'll ever meet. I had an ex bind my hands with his tie one time and that's as adventurous as we ever got. But I did a shit-ton of research on just enough to get this written, but I will never claim to be an expert. This is supposed to be light-bondage for a good time only. </p><p>And for the record, Emma's restraints are the ones that are (sadly no longer available) on the Savage X Fenty site because they look sexy af.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Killian wants to blame all of this on the merger their company went through a year ago. And by "blame" he means "thank profusely," of course. That’s the only reason that Emma Swan came into his life. They were both senior project managers within their original companies and now they’re practically pitted against each other because of their own competitive streaks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembers the way she came into his office on her first day, striding right up to his desk and planting her palms on either side of his name plate, fire in her eyes as her hair fell over her shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours,” she declared. It had been suggested they work together on some middle-ground projects, but they’ve both waved it off and split the files, preferring to work with their own teams. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, something shifted. They were each working late one night and he could hear her swearing up a storm, so even as he shut down his own office for the night, he made a decision to go to hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything all right, Swan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just fucking dandy,” she replied, scowling at the screen in front of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it’s against our nature to help each other out, but is there anything I can do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d looked up at him, then, considering him from behind her glasses, her hair swept up into a ponytail. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, there is something you can <em>do</em>,” she’d replied, an innocent smile forming across her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A half hour later, she was leading him inside her apartment. Forty-five minutes later, her hands were holding his head in place as he did everything in his power to get her off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It started as </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> sex. They had rules, of course, including those regarding the location and frequency of their visits. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And no kissing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Emma had announced as her hand closed around his erection that first time. They were rules they’d strictly held in check for the last six months that they’d been sleeping together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right up until the moment Emma showed up at his apartment and kissed him before she left. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since that day two weeks ago, they’ve seen each other after work every other day, sometimes going to his place instead of just to hers now. They’ve not kissed again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he shows up on a Friday after they’ve both left work for the day, he’s treated to a new surprise: Emma answers the door in a satin robe, pulling him in by his tie and locking the door behind him. He barely has time to take off his shoes before she’s leading him to the kitchen table, slipping the plastic bag off his prosthetic hook as she goes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanna talk to you about trying something new,” she tells him as she pours the wine. “We’ve been doing this long enough that I trust you like… a lot. You know as well as I do that we’re always expected to be the ones that call the shots at work. Well, tonight, I want to give </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> that control over me. Is that okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Much like when we first began this, love, I just ask that you let me know what I can do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get to that. Dinner comes before you do,” she says, grinning as she doles out the containers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She makes sure the whole kitchen is cleaned before she leads him back to her bedroom. The lights are dim, and her nightstand has been cleared of the miscellany that usually clutters it. Those items have been replaced by a bundle of satin, a bottle of lubricant, and a few sensory items that he doesn’t really focus on, instead turning back to Emma. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have something in mind?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” she says, going for the satin first. “I want you to help me with these, and then the rest is up to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bundle is, in fact, two restrains and an eye mask. The restraints are soft, and she shows him how to loop them around her wrists. They don’t tie, which means she can escape from them if needed. He does, however, have to tie them to her bed frame, but he waits until she’s put the eye mask on her head and gotten comfortable against the pillows. She rests her arms overhead and he works from there to tie the straps to the bars closest to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tests them a few times, making sure they’re the right tension, before she lays back and tries to relax. Her eyes land back on him, watching with interest as he loosens his tie. When he notices he has an audience, he slows down, drawing out the act as he makes eye contact with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sets the tie on her dresser, moving next to the buttons on his shirt and making quick work of those. The shirt gets draped over a chair she has in the corner of her room, and he quickly shuffles off his socks at the same time. Her eyebrow pops up in question when he turns his attention to releasing the straps that hold his prosthetic in place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to,” she tells him, and he can tell by her voice that she’s just trying to make sure he’s comfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to,” he says quietly, leaving the whole contraption next to his tie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Down to just his trousers, he moves back to the bed and stands there considering where to start. He supposes the first order of business is to undress her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shall I strip you with or without the blindfold?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Without.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you wish.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tugs carefully on the tie holding her robe closed, giving a pleased hum as it easily comes loose and he can push apart the two sides to reveal nothing but a simple thong. Already he can see the dampness on the crotch and he looks up at her as he smirks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So wet already,” he comments. He moves closer to her side, kneeling on the bed for a moment to ease the blindfold down over her eyes. “You say ‘stop’ and I will do so immediately, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” she says, her voice sounding breathy already. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He moves away from the bed again, instead weighing his options on the sensory items she’s left out. There are three items on the table: one is a feather tickler, one is a small vibrator, and the last is a small wheel with dull spikes on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He starts with the wheel, hoping to catch her off guard by not going for the tickler first. As quietly as he can, he moves to the bottom of the bed, hovering just close enough that he can reach without giving away his position. With a quick motion, he runs the wheel along the arch of one foot, biting back a chuckle when she twitches and brings her whole knee up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?” she exclaims, The surprise evident on her face even with her eyes covered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve given me the control, Swan. Just try to relax.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She grumbles out something that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> much wants to respond to but turns his attention back to setting the wheel back against her skin and rolling it up her shin. He draws patterns around her knee and zigzags his way up her thigh before moving back to the other leg. He can hear her exhalation of disappointment and </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost</span>
  </em>
  <span> tells her she’s in for a long night of sighs like that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Going along the outside of her thighs is fun, but it’s when the wheel dips to her inner thighs that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> enjoys. He gets to watch as she tugs at her restraints, her hands reaching as if wanting to pull him to where she wants. Just as quickly, her arms flop back to the pillows. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of her skin gets the same treatment - he runs the wheel across her abdomen, where she squirms away from the ticklish sensation. He rolls it between her breasts. He varies the pressure as he goes to different areas, watching the way she twists and moves in reaction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before moving on to the next item, he instead chooses to remove her underwear. He uses his hand and teeth to drag each side of the thong down at the same time, enjoying the way she says his name like a curse as he does. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wants so badly to sink into her already, to bring them both to completion in any way he can, but he knows she wants more than just one of these toys used, so he opts to grab the tickler after he drops her panties on the floor. This time, he starts from the top and works his way down. From the space just below her wrists, all the way to the tips of her toes, he brushes the bundle of feathers across her skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deciding to add a new element to it, he climbs onto the bed and straddles her with one knee on either side of her torso. Other than kneeling on the robe that was trapped beneath her, he makes sure he’s not hurting her in any way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still okay?” he asks, needing that verbal confirmation before he continues. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, good,” she responds, moving just enough that her skin brushes against the fabric of his trousers. He watches as goosebumps form across her skin and her nipples tighten up further. He bites his bottom lip, wanting nothing more than to kiss her right now, as she is, but holding back to honor her rules. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t say anything further, instead leaning up so he can draw the tickler across her wrists again. This time, however, he follows the line of the feathers with his tongue, using it to draw intricate patterns along the path. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s the first time her control breaks and she moans. He does the same on her other arm before moving down her chest. He shifts to straddle lower on her body so he can access each new part he plays with. She tilts her head to give better access to her neck, then arches up into his touch when he gets to her breasts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, the tickler gets left to the side as he does a thorough job of licking and nipping at each breast. By now he knows exactly how hard to bite each nipple to get the perfect response, and today is no different as she cries out, bucking her hips up in hope of meeting some kind of friction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shifts again so one of his knees presses against the juncture between her legs as he licks across her chest and down her abdomen, giving her a taste of what she wants as she rubs her center against his leg. Before she can get off, however, he moves again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignoring where she wants him most, he continues to trail down her legs, enjoying the noises she makes when he brushes the feathers across the backs of her knees as he nips gently at her kneecaps. Down he goes until he gets to her ankles, and then repeats the sequence again on the outside and inside of each leg. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s panting by now, and even with the lights as low as they are he can see she’s glistening with her own moisture. The vibrator and lubricant, it seems, will have to wait until another time. He moves off the bed for a moment in order to carefully shuck his trousers and boxers, watching in interest as Emma cocks her head and wondering if she can tell what he’s doing or if she’s trying to hear where he is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he notices how parched he is and how she’s repeatedly closing her mouth and swallowing, he decides it’s okay for one last little trick. As he stands at the foot of the bed, he wraps his hand around one of her ankles and moves her leg outward. He repeats the same motion with her other leg, leaving her spread open for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t move,” he instructs before exiting the room as quietly as he can and heading for her kitchen. He knows by now where she keeps her cups, and he finds one with a lid and a straw that he’s seen her drinking out of during meetings. He fills it quickly and heads back to the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sit up a little and drink,” Killian tells her, guiding her to the straw and smiling gently when she greedily gulps. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you know?” she asks after she quenches her thirst. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of responding, he takes his own sips from the drink before stopping up the straw and pulling it from the cool water and leaving the cup on the nightstand. Starting between her breasts, he lets drops escape as he moves down her body and she gasps and arches. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You asshole,” she pants, but whatever she planned to say after that is long lost as the last final drops land just above her clit. The straw gets thrown to the side as he moves quickly, sucking up those drops before closing his mouth around her clit, his tongue flicking across it in swift movements. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s coerced a lot of noises out of her in their time together. She has moaned his name in every cadence he could possibly imagine. This time, she shouts, and he knows that he’ll have hell to pay for this eventually. He only lets up long enough to fully move onto the bed between her legs, burying his face between her thighs and working with the singular goal of making her orgasm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was already close, so he’s not surprised when he barely gets through tracing her clit with a “K” as he’s going through the alphabet and she traps him where he is, cursing his name and tugging tight at the restraints for the first time during this whole adventure. She bucks up into his mouth, riding out the pleasure as long as she can before she collapses back to the bed, her legs and arms all going limp at the same time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So lost is he by leaving little kisses along her pubic bone that he doesn’t notice she’s slipped off one of the restraints until her hand is buried in his hair and she’s tugging hard. Killian moans against her heated flesh, his hips stuttering against the mattress for a second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She releases him to push up the blindfold, where she meets his gaze with her heated one. “Get up here and fuck me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you wish,” Killian says again, hoping eventually she’ll get the reference and infer the meaning. But until that day, he does just as she commands. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Due to a scheduling conflict, Emma has to leave for a business trip a few days before Killian. What happens when she's all alone in her hotel room without him there to keep her occupied in person? Well, she talks to him on the phone, instead.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter contains dirty talk/phone sex. And a whole lotta other business. While I believe this is going to be the last part, I still have one more I wouldn't mind writing. But I'm just gonna let it happen on its own and see where the muses take me. This was definitely a fun challenge, and I'm so glad I broke out of my comfort zones to write it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s not that Emma hates business trips. In fact, she actually quite likes them. She also perversely likes traveling, even though everyone else in the office complains and whines and drags their feet. Not Emma - she has her packing done three days before she has to leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The day before her flight, she double checks everything. Her business travel card is turned on with no balance due. Her carry-on bag is just waiting for the last few essentials which she’ll put in when she wakes up tomorrow. She takes a moment during her lunch break to check in to her flight and double check her seat. She scowls at the one beside her that’s still currently showing as unoccupied and closes out of the app, moving instead to the one that has her hotel reservation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s only one thing that has not gone how she planned, and that’s the empty seat next to her. Not that she should care. She travels alone all the time. She’s more used to traveling alone than she is with others. So why does it piss her off so much that Killian won’t be sitting next to her when they take off tomorrow?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their arrangement has been the best thing to happen to her in a long time. And that’s purely from a sexual standpoint. He walked in her office that day asking what he could do, and her brain screamed back </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Do me!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> so loud that she could only follow what her body wanted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She took him back to her place, wrung every drop of pleasure out of him that she could, and told him she’d see him in the office bright and early the next day. He’d smirked, cocking his head to one side and considering her for a moment before he walked out the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A week later, they did it again. No talk of work, no backstories, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no kissing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He bent her over her kitchen table and fucked her so good she almost asked him to carry her to bed before he left. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so it began. It was a weekly thing. Once a week only. Always on a weeknight to avoid things like sleeping over and cuddling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One day when she got home from work, though, she couldn’t get him out of her head. She figured it was just a rougher than normal day and she just needed a quick fuck to get it out of her system. Instead of changing into something more comfortable or even just keeping her work clothes on, she hatched a better idea to immediately get him onto the same page as her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Off went all the other items she wore that day, keeping only her stockings and her shoes. Sliding on her coat again, she buttoned it all the way to her neck and tied it tight and hoped an Uber wouldn’t be too far away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a lot of careful maneuvering to make sure she didn’t flash the driver or the doormen at either of their residences, but there was a strong sense of accomplishment when she made it into the building without incident.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The look on Killian’s face when she dropped the coat to the floor was worth it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even after they got done having sex, however, there was still a pit of something in Emma’s stomach. Something </span>
  <em>
    <span>missing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And that’s when her dumbass brain decided that she should kiss him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The frequency that they’ve been seeing each other for the last month is quite possibly a problem. It’s every other day, now. Still no kissing. But he kind of, almost, just a little bit slept over the night she asked him to tie her up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that she fully blames him for that one. That was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>marathon</span>
  </em>
  <span> of a night, and by the time he came, he’d made sure she’d had </span>
  <em>
    <span>six</span>
  </em>
  <span> orgasms. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Six</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She’s never had a partner try harder for her pleasure than their own, and that’s including Ruby, who gives out orgasms like she’s handing out candy on Halloween. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emma knows she wasn’t sleeping long when she felt the shifting on the other side of the bed. Maybe he realized where he was and what was going on, so when the bed dipped, she expected it was him getting ready to take off. Instead, she felt his lips press against her forehead so sweetly, so tenderly, that she’s surprised she held it together until after he left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Things went back to normal after that night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes they play with the restraints. Sometimes it’s something slow and sensual and just </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking incredible</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but they still always part ways when they’re done. She’s been to his place a couple times now, too, and it feels a lot more like </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> than </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two nights ago, when she’d been getting ready to leave his place, he’d informed her his travel plans had changed and he wouldn’t be flying out until Monday morning. That left her on the Thursday night plane with no seatmate. She’ll still be with her team, but there was something intriguing about making this one “together” when they’ve always avoided each other on previous work trips. Plus, it’s four whole days she’ll have to go without seeing him, which just feels wrong at this point. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a heavy sigh, and knowing that all her travel accommodations are secured, Emma throws herself back into her work. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she shuts everything down for the night, she’s surprised to see Killian’s office still lit up across the way. She’s even more surprised to see him pacing and arguing with someone on the phone, his brows furrowed down. He’s usually so put-together at work: hair in place, suit pristine until the moment he leaves, shoes shined </span>
  <em>
    <span>every single day</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right now, his sleeves are rolled up, exposing the brace that holds his prosthetic. His hair is messed up, a product of the argument he </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> seems to be having. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well call me back when you get it </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he growls out, and Emma feels her knees go weak just a bit at the tone of his voice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she finds him way too attractive. She would give almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be spread across his ostentatious desk right about now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns as if hearing her thoughts from the doorway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Swan? Anything I can help you with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wanders into his office, her fingertips grazing the dark oak she was just picturing herself draped across. By looks alone, he’s had a shittier day than she could’ve imagined, and yet he’s still the one asking if he can do anything for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, no. All good. Your place or mine?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He checks his watch, another slew of curse words falling from his lips as he sees the time. “Bloody hell, I hadn’t even seen the time. Give me an hour and I’ll be at yours? I know you have an early flight so I’ll try to get there sooner if I can. I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take your time. I just plan on sleeping on the flight anyway,” she comments, coming close enough. Why is she so close to him? His tie is loosened and askew. Why is she reaching for it? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Killian stops moving all together, instead focusing intensely on the way Emma is nimbly pulling the tail of the tie from the knot that looked better this morning. She works the knot out entirely, sliding it free from under his collar and staring carefully at the fabric between her fingers before looking up to meet his gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t work too hard,” she tells him, placing the tie on the corner of his desk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hand grips her wrist loosely when she turns to retreat, and Emma does her best to stay steady. He’s looking at her with an unreadable expression, his eyes darting between hers as if he’s studying her files. He glances a few times at her lips and she wants him to kiss her. Wants it so bad that she almost goes for it again. But his phone is ringing and she can see the moment he waves a white flag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One hour,” he tells her, letting his touch fall away from her wrist in order to answer his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s there in forty-eight minutes, his mouth hungrily moving across her neck, biting at her earlobe as her hands make their way down to grab at his ass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All in all, worth the wait. Again, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost</span>
  </em>
  <span> kisses him, and somehow they both resist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it’s still lonely boarding the plane by herself. It’s not until she’s in her hotel room later at night that the pit in her stomach opens - a chasm of unknown depths. The curtains are all wide open. She got an upgrade - corner room, river view, a little extra space with a couch… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turns on the TV for extra noise as she unpacks her suitcase, meticulously hanging her outfits for her meetings next week and the conference this weekend. She’s just finishing up when her dinner is delivered, and she forces herself to relax on the small couch while she eats, the TV long forgotten in favor of texting Killian pictures of the bridges visible. It’s certainly not the skyline she’s used to from their apartments, but from this far up, Pittsburgh doesn’t seem so bad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her phone rings just after 8pm, and Killian’s voice greets her low and sultry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been a long day without you in this building,” he says plainly after she answers. “Your perfume wasn’t lingering around any corners today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you still at work?” she asks, more curious than anything else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In my defense, I’m currently leaving the building.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t answered my question.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was working on the Apollo account,” he says, and while she’s pretty sure that’s not a lie, it doesn’t sound like the full truth. “I’m hopping in a car. Do you want to stick with me or should I call you when I get home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wants to tell him he doesn’t have an obligation to either option but she stops herself. She’s sitting by herself in her hotel room. The company would be nice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll stick with you,” she responds after a moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent. So why aren’t you out with your team, who I know for a fact are downstairs in the hotel bar getting absolutely pissed on the company’s dime?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got room service,” she says, as if that will cover the whole answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A better choice, in my opinion,” he admits. “Is your room nice? Where are we staying again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Renaissance. They upgraded me to a corner room. I have this great view from up here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As good as the view from my apartment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s lacking something… extra.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Darling, you tease.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could do a lot more than tease, Killian.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s silent for a moment, maybe weighing the pros and cons of having an erection in the backseat of an Uber. She can picture him cradling his phone in his lap, likely scrolling through work emails as they talk, his airpods snugly in his ears, judging how much the driver is even paying attention to him and his conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could,” he says after a drawn out silence. “But will you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She chuckles, pushing aside the reports she was pretending to look over when he called in favor of sitting back. “I think I will,” she responds airily, taking a second of her own to decide how she wants to approach this. “The only thing missing in this room is you, preferably naked, stretched out on this king size bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go on,” he requests, his words a little clipped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I packed before you told me you weren’t going to be here until Monday,” she tells him, stretching languidly as she stands from the couch. “Brought this cute new set of underwear. I think I might wear it tomorrow to the cocktail hour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or you could wait to wear it until Monday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she sighs out. “But you know how much I love wearing new things as soon as I get them. They’re all black. Quarter cups. Lace.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bloody hell, Swan. Hold that thought. Just -- hang on one moment.” She’s able to track his movements from the car to the entrance of his building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell Smee I said hello,” she says coyly, turning off the lamps until just the glow of the lights beyond her windows illuminates the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Evening, Smee,” he says a moment later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you in the elevator now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am,” he responds. “Thinking about how much more I’d enjoy this tent in my trousers if you were here with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you just have to walk past Smee with a noticeable hard-on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye. And believe me, I’ll get you back for that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hums, listening to the sound of the elevator dinging when it gets to his apartment. She tracks his movement, listening to him set down his computer and keys. Then hears him suck in a breath between his teeth as he obviously reaches for himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Feel better?” she asks, enjoying being able to do this to him so easily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me what you’re wearing right now,” he says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I showered while waiting for my dinner, so I’m in nothing but a robe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He groans. “The things you do to me,” he utters, and the sound of his voice ignites the fire in her belly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I can think of several things I’d like to do to you right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me,” he says, his voice wavering. “Imagine I’m there with you. What am I doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re getting undressed like you’re putting on a show, as you always do.” She closes her eyes to picture it: the way he slides off his tie, the way he slips open each button on his vest. “You’re taking off each layer like you’re exposing a gift to me. Until you’re down to just those gray slacks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know I’m wearing the gray ones?” he asks, his voice quiet and tinged with disbelief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You always wear them on Thursday,” she answers simply, missing the sound he makes as she barrels on with her imagination. “You leave those on while you move to the side of the bed, looking at me like you don’t know which part of me to taste first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what part I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to taste first,” he says quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do, but you always look like it’s some life-changing decision.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d argue that tasting you </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a life-changing decision, love.” His voice when he says it is low and rumbly, pressed right against her ear, and she gasps.”What am I doing now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re taking off those fucking pants,” she says, not even bothering to untie her robe but slipping her fingers between her legs. “And you’re climbing onto the bed with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn this case, I should be sinking into you right now,” he groans. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she says. “You should be.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her fingers are still moving, dipping inside herself before coming out and swirling around her clit. It’s a pattern she knows for a fact that Killian makes with his tongue all the time, and maybe that’s what she can blame for the next words out of her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I miss you,” she breathes out before she can stop herself. The moment she finishes speaking however, she realizes her mistake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Swan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Struggling for a second, she has no idea what to say. Her fingers pause their actions as her eyes fly open and she works her jaw a few times but can’t come up with anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I gotta go. See you Monday,” she rushes out, ending the call. “You fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>idiot</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she says to herself, ignoring the phone as it buzzes in her hand. She lets the call go to voicemail. Next come the text messages, and in a fit of panic, Emma does the only thing she can think of. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turns off her phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the morning, she forces herself to believe that it’s all going to be okay. She’ll just distance herself from Killian. She has a couple days before she has to see him and while she knows it’s going to suck - they really had a great thing going - she’ll get over it in time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath, she goes through her morning routine, taking a moment before she starts to order breakfast. After that she focuses on getting ready, brushing her teeth and hair, applying moisturizer and a set of under-eye patches to try to fix the bags that formed from her fitful night of sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moving to the closet, she finds her outfit for the first part of the day - some panel that she would rather sleep through if given the choice. She holds up the undergarments she told Killian about last night and sighs, pushing them to the back of the drawer and grabbing something more sensible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s only managed to slide on the underwear when there’s a knock on the door. That couldn’t possibly be breakfast, right? Last night, she accepted that she would be waiting for at least forty minutes before her food was delivered. She throws on her robe again, unlatching and swinging open the door without even bothering to check the peephole.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not a room attendant with a tray waiting on the other side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Killian,” she whispers, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that he’s here, standing at her door. “How did you…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I may have bribed a member of your team to give me your room number,” he says. He’s forcing his voice to be casual but there’s a tension rolling off of him that she can tell he’s trying to hide. “May I come in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She almost declines, but instead she moves aside. As she carefully shuts the door again, he moves to stand behind her, waiting until she’s finished her task to turn her towards him and press her against the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With delicate movements, he glides the patches from beneath her eyes, smiling softly as he does. Only after they’ve dropped to the floor does he brush his fingers across her cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he’s kissing her. Not the quick press of lips that she gave that first time she showed up at his place. These are deep, open-mouthed kisses that she reciprocates immediately, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you mean it?” he asks before kissing her again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could pretend to not know what he’s talking about, but her heart lurches. She can’t lie - not about this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she replies, shuddering as his hand moves to the tie on her robe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Say it, Emma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Working up the nerve to say it in person is different than blurting it out on accident during phone sex, but as he pulls back far enough to wait, she realizes he’s not going to do anything else until she follows through. Opening her eyes is the first challenge, but he’s right there with her - his gaze patient as it meets hers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leans forward, ready to kiss her again, but there’s a knock at the door again. He steps back, pressing his lips together as she pulls her robe closed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Breakfast,” she says, giving him time to move further away before she opens the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s standing by the windows when she turns back to the room, directing the attendant to place the tray on the desk while she signs the receipt that she’s handed. When they’re alone again, he hesitates before he pivots to look at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Emma,” he starts, but she cuts him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, let me,” she says, moving slowly across the room to stand in front of him. “I missed you last night.” Her voice is quiet, and she swallows hard when she’s done speaking, trying to maintain eye contact and not fidget. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reaches out, grabbing her hand and urging her forward a few more steps so he can wrap his arms around her waist, his palm splayed across her back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you, too. I was finishing the Apollo case so I could submit the proposal and fly out here early. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> why I was at the office so late last night,” he tells her, and she can see why he kept that card close to his chest now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To surprise me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye, though originally it was just so I could fuck you against those windows, but now, I have the stones to tell you that I want something different. Emma, I want </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We work together. Don’t you see how complicated this is?” she asks, pushing against his chest lightly so she can move away and pace around the room. He lets her go but waits until she makes another pass by him to hook his prosthetic around her wrist and guide her back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do. Believe me, I have thought of this so many times and so many ways, and every time I try to talk myself out of it, I just want it more. I have spent months just wanting to kiss you every time I see you. I’ve spent hours trying to figure out what I wanted out of this beyond a physical release, and I kept coming back to the same answer every time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was your answer?” She has a feeling she knows what he’s about to say but she wants to hear him say it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you know, Emma? It’s you.” His voice trembles just the tiniest bit as the words come out, and it surprises her when a tear rolls down her cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All this time, they’ve both been exercising the most restraint they could manage, and now it’s all out in the open. His hand trails up her arm, moving until he’s cupping her cheek and bending slightly to kiss her softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s the one that shifts the tone this time, melding against him as one of her hands ends up in his hair and she’s lost to the way he tastes. Does he always taste this way in the morning? What is that hint she’s getting?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You taste like tomato juice. Bloody Mary?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A spike of confidence. Light on the vodka. When does the revenue management panel begin?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who cares? No one will miss us. Spend the day with me, instead?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As soon as I retrieve my luggage from the front desk, I’d be happy to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s easy enough to take care of,” she responds, reaching for the phone beside her bed. After arranging to have his luggage delivered to her room, she has a thought. Covering the receiver of the phone, she turns to where Killian is helping himself to her coffee and flipping through the notes for the conference. “Hey, do you want to stay with me for the week?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment of shock, he wanders over, kissing her forehead quickly before taking the phone from her. “Yes, hello? This is Killian Jones. I had a reservation starting on Monday but I won’t be needing it any longer. Can you change the name on that to Will Scarlett? Yes. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At her questioning look, Killian shrugs. “He had to add on late and is stuck sharing a room with Victor. At least now he can move to his own room on Monday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So gentlemanly of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> a gentleman, Swan. Now, why don’t we split this breakfast and see what’s on Netflix, hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the rest of the day, they lounge in the bed, dining on nothing but room service, and it’s not until well past lunch that Killian works apart the knot tying her robe, taking his time to savor every inch of skin he comes across. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Emma wakes up in the morning, Killian is still in the bed beside her, and there’s no movement from either of them to escape away. Instead, where they’d rolled apart during the night, she shifts across the distance and tucks herself into his side to snooze for just five more minutes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time they fly home on Thursday, they’ve set up a time for an </span>
  <em>
    <span>actual</span>
  </em>
  <span> date to take place during the weekend, and the rules they’d established before go right out the window. And during this flight, she doesn’t glare once at the seat next to her because it’s occupied by the right person this time. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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